BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West

The city of Pointe Claire last week issued a $2.2-million contract to a Canadian engineering firm to design plans for a pedestrian and cycling overpass across Highway 40 just west of St. Jean Blvd. that could cost more than $20 million to build.

But there is no commitment as of yet to actually build the infrastructure, according to city officials.

“This is just to create the plans,” said councillor Brent Cowan at the July 2 Pointe Claire council meeting as he explained why he was voting against the contract. “The actual pedestrian-cycling overpass would be up to 10 times that and more,” he added.

The city has opted to commission a design for the structure that would link the south side of the city, near Alston Avenue, to the REM commuter rail station next to the Fairview Pointe Claire shopping centre, north of the highway, with the promise of federal funding that would cover part of the cost of construction. Land on either side of the highway would have to be acquired for the project to move forward.

But Cowan said delays in getting provincial approval to allow the city to accept the federal funds has meant that it is not quite clear if Pointe Claire would be able to count on that contribution. Then, there is the unknown final cost of such a project, he added.

“In my mind, that’s too many uncertainties,” Cowan said. “So I will not be supporting this motion.”

Councillor Claude Cousineau also voted against the contract, which was finally approved by a majority of council.

“We are not ready for this,” Cousineau said. “It can wait. There are other priorities.”

Cousineau confirmed the final bill to build the structure could go as high as $20 million or more, adding there is no information on how many pedestrians or cyclists would actually use it.

In an interview earlier this week, Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas said the federal government had offered the city an $8-million subsidy for the project back in 2022. But it is difficult to measure the significance of the grant, he conceded, without knowing the final cost of the plan.

Thomas said the design contract would propose options for the structure – like whether it would be covered to protect users from the elements, especially in winter. The final cost of the project would depend on the design selected.

“It’s a cool project,” Thomas said. “But it’s going to be costly. It’s going to be substantial.”

At the meeting, Cowan said this is the type of project that should be, in part, shouldered by the agglomeration. At this time, however, there is no financial commitment from the regional administrative body.